Listen: HeadShy – “Coma”

There’s a theory which breaks down the perfect compositional aspects of perfume into three parts — the head chord, the heart cord, and the base chord — with each portion of the formula representing a different aspect of the fragrance as it interacts with our sense of smell and is then given an appropriate response. And now it seems that Austin rockers HeadShy have found a way to apply this complicated formula to their music. Released separately, their three recent EP’s, The Head Chord, The Heart Chord, and (you guessed it) The Base Chord all tell an inter-related story of musical foundations and aural sensations. The band has collected all three EP’s onto one disc called La Belle Epoque (out January 14th via Medicina Records) and is now letting their fans hear this trilogy as it was originally intended.

For our latest glimpse into La Belle Epoque, HeadShy offer us “Coma” (taken from The Heart Chord section), a track that bristles with a pop restlessness and conjures feelings of expanding rock landscapes and pure rhythmic theatricality. Singer Lisa Lipkin’s soaring vocals mesh with the often psych-influenced instrumentation and thickly poured melodies to form a roiling mix of pop instincts and indie rock tendencies. The song develops into an elaborate and often grandiose exercise in how to put together a song for maximum effect. Each piece builds on its musical antecedent in a way that never diminishes each individual piece but allows the song to gain strength from its composite parts. Stream “Coma” below.